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California Young
Writers E-Anthology
If you are not from…
If you are not from the dreamy
Mesa
You don’t know the feeling
of the wind whispering to the
moon
You can’t know the feeling
of the wind whispering to the
moon
Because in order to know the chatty
wind you have to know the feeling
of him whistling in your mind
and tricking you and filling you
with dreams at night. It’s
coming from the seas and drifting
you to sleep and showing you the
dreamy feeling within the Mesa
If you’re not from the dreamy
Mesa
You don’t know the sound
of the wind whispering to the
moon
You can’t know the sound
as he whispers to the moon and
you
--Michelle
Poems modeled on If You’re
Not From the Prairie by David
Bouchard |
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If you’re not from the Sunshine
State
If you’re not from the Sunshine
State
You don’t know the Sun.
You can’t know the Sun.
When tourists pass through our little
sun-filled paradise they come out thinking
that the experience was quite nice.
They tell us their secrets and tales,
especially the ones with the great humpback
whales.
If you’re not from the Sunshine
State
You don’t know the Sun.
--Anthony
Poems modeled on If You’re Not
From the Prairie by David Bouchard |
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Michelle,
Anthony, Maiko, and A.O. are just a few
of the thousands of student writers, participating
in CWP Young Writers Camps or in summer
school programs, who were invited to write
about living in California.
How did you come to California,
or have you always lived here? What does
it mean to be a Californian in your town,
your neighborhood, your school, your home,
or your culture? How is a Californian defined—by
those of us who live here or by those who
don’t? What hopes and dreams do you
hold for California? |
If I ask you: What
would it be like to be an American?
Would you leave everything behind and
start over? Would it help you or hurt
you? At this time, you might already
start to get confused because these
are questions you don’t hear very
often, but they are only a few of the
many questions that haunt immigrants’
minds before they reach American soil.
Starting over is already difficult,
and adapting to new changes will need
everything you’ve got in order
to succeed. As an immigrant, I’m
struggling and going through this same
process to become an American.
--Maiko |
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Students, or campers,
and many of their teachers responded to these
questions in essays, poems, letters, and stories
and selected the best of them for publication
in this CWP E-Anthology. Follow the links
below to find collections of the students’
writing, organized by the camps they participated
in and the communities they live in. |
…People might think we are unfortunate
and poor, but what they don’t
understand is that we are trying to
find a house…. People don’t
see how much love goes on in our house.
My mom works hard at her job and then
comes home and makes dinner. She makes
sure that my brother and I are doing
well in school and talks to us about
our day…. My mom spends her every
waking hour making sure my brother and
I are safe and happy. That is what goes
on inside our small apartment. That
is all everyone ever really needs is
love and comfort in your home, no matter
what the size or what your house looks
like. People see a small apartment.
I see a warm cozy home with love and
support.
--A.O. |
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What
do these students tell and teach us about
California? What surprises does their writing
hold? What perspectives or perceptions do
they challenge or affirm? How does their writing
help us celebrate these young writers—their
promise and potential?
To view more of the California Young Writers
E-Anthology, click
here. |
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